Dan Coats for Indiana

J.D., Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis 1971; served in the United States Army 1966-1968; Republican Congressman 1981-1989); appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Dan Quayle as Vice President, and took the oath of office on January 3, 1989; served 1989-1999; was not a candidate for reelection in 1998; became U.S. Ambassador to Germany in 2001.

Dan Coats: Pro-Life Lobbyist

"Search" For Jesus!

Please help the Portiuncula (Little Portion) Hermitage and Retreat Center by Downloading this GoodSearch Toolbar. The Hermitage receives a penny every time you Click on their Search!

Monday, April 11, 2011

"Guess who hasn't had their cup of Mystic Monk Coffee yet this morning!"

Fra Chris

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

The Monk Master Roaster

Br. Java is the master roaster who meticulously roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Br. Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy – with or without cream.

The Legend of the First Mystic Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.

The secret of coffee continues to keep monks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shares the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.

Monks are passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.

Please remember that when you buy Mystic Monk Coffee through the Portiuncula Hermitage, ten percent of all their commission sales is donated to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion.)

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To order direct, simply click on the Bag of Mystic Monk Coffee on the Top of this page:

Monday, September 20, 2010

The Indiana Senate seat now held by Democrat Evan Bayh remains a likely Republican pickup on Election Day.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Indiana finds Republican Dan Coats leading Democratic Congressman Brad Ellsworth 50% to 34% in the state's U.S. Senate race. Eight percent (8%) of voters prefer some other candidate, and nine percent (9%) are still undecided.
Last month, Coats, who represented Indiana in the Senate from 1989 to 1999, held a 50% to 29% lead over Ellsworth.
The race remains Solid GOP in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Senate Balance of Power rankings.
Coats has earned 46% to 54% of the vote in matchups with Ellsworth since February. Ellsworth has picked up 29% to 36% of the vote in those same surveys, but his support has been trending down since May. In the latest survey, Ellsworth has gained back some support since last month when he had his poorest showing to date.
Eighty-two percent (82%) of Indiana Republican voters support Coats. Ellsworth picks up 72% support from the state's Democrats, while voters not affiliated with either major political party prefer Coats by eight points.
Since Bayh’s surprise announcement in January that he would not seek reelection, Republicans have been strongly favored to pick up the Indiana seat. Ellsworth faces an uphill struggle in a state that trends Republican. (Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Indiana was conducted on September 14-15, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Sixty-three percent (63%) of Indiana voters favor repeal of the health care law, including 53% that Strongly Favor it. That's well above voter support nationally. Just 32% of the state's voters oppose repeal, with 22% who are Strongly Opposed.
Seventy-six percent (76%) of the voters in the larger group that Strongly Favors repeal of the health care bill support Coats. Ellsworth, who voted for the bill in March, has the support of 80% of those who are Strongly Opposed.
Fifty-six percent (56%) of all Indiana voters view Coats favorably and 35% view him unfavorably. This includes 18% with a Very Favorable view and 13% with a Very Unfavorable one.
Ellsworth is viewed favorably by 38% of voters and unfavorably by 44%, including 10% Very Favorable and 16% Very Unfavorable.
Like voters nationwide, those in Indiana rate the economy as the most important issue this election cycle. Coats holds a slight edge among these voters.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of voters in the state are angry at the current policies of the federal government, including 47% who are Very Angry. Indiana voters are even angrier than voters nationwide.
Fifty-nine percent (59%) describe the U.S. economy as poor. Twenty-two percent (22%) say economic conditions are getting better, but 50% think they're getting worse.
Barack Obama edged John McCain 50% to 49% to win Indiana in the 2008 election, but just 38% now approve of the job he is doing as president, unchanged from August. Sixty-one percent (61%) disapprove. This is higher disapproval than is found nationally in the Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
The state’s Republican governor remains popular. Seventy percent (70%) approve of Mitch Daniels’ job performance, while only 27% disapprove.

For more data from this survey, see toplines. Platinum Members get a deeper look at the numbers.
In 2008, Rasmussen Reports projected nationally that Obama would defeat John McCain by a 52% to 46% margin. Obama won 53% to 46%. Four years earlier, Rasmussen Reports projected the national vote totals for both George W. Bush and John Kerry within half-a-percentage-point.
In Indiana during the 2008 campaign, Rasmussen Reports polling showed a close race with McCain edging Obama 49% to 46%. Obama won 50% to 49%. In the Democratic Primary, Rasmussen Polling showed Hillary Clinton defeating Obama 46% to 41%. Clinton won 51% to 49%.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

A New York Times / FiveThirtyEight forecast in the Indiana race for U.S. Senate gives Democrat Brad Ellsworth a 2.8% chance of victory. Two. Point. Eight… Percent. Ouch.
Just so you have a point of reference, my beloved Chicago Bears have a 3.3% chance of winning the Super Bowl. So if you have the choice between betting on Brad Ellsworth becoming a U.S. Senator or Jay Cutler winning a Super Bowl ring, put your money on No. 6.

Congressman Ellsworth has been drowning in the polls since he entered this race last spring. Even though he went on television early this summer, his numbers are actually getting worse. He recently pulled his ads and is no doubt retooling his efforts to run an all negative, all the time media campaign after Labor Day. It might not matter.Rasmussen has polled in this race 5 times. In April, the head-to-head numbers were 54%-33%. On August 10th, Ellsworth claimed just 29% of likely voters.
If Democrats can’t change the positions of Indiana voters on issues like healthcare and the economy that define this Senate race, there is little hope that Ellsworth can close a widening gap before the election.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Wall Street Journal

GOP Has Money Momentum in Open Senate Races

By Susan Davis

Underscoring the momentum shift behind the GOP in the midterm elections, Republican candidates out-raised Democrats in the second quarter in every competitive race for an open Senate seat.
Below is a snapshot of the key races and their money haul for the second quarter. Collectively, Republicans out-raised Democrats in these nine races by about $9 million in the three month span from April through June.
While this is good news for the GOP, there are caveats–as always. In several races, Republicans out-raised Democrats during the quarter, but the Democrat still has more money in the bank. In Indiana, for example, Republican Dan Coats out-raised Democrat Brad Ellsworth, but Ellsworth still holds a $200,000 cash-on-hand advantage.
And in competitive races with an incumbent Democrat, including California, Nevada, and Arkansas, the senator out-raised the Republican challengers.
But in the competitive races for open seats—where no incumbent is running—the GOP money momentum has picked up. Whether Republican candidates can maintain the cash advantage remains to be seen, and money doesn’t always translate in to Election Day victories, but the numbers underscore why the GOP is feeling bullish this year.Delaware: Republican Rep. Mike Castle raised $837,000 and Democrat Chris Coons raised $698,000. The Delaware primary is Sept. 14. Florida: Republican Marco Rubio raised $4.5 million while Democrat Kendrick Meek raised over $1 million. Both men are their party’s favorite in the Aug. 24 primary, but Meek is facing a primary challenge from self-funded billionaire Jeff Greene, and Gov. Charlie Crist is running as an independent. Crist hasn’t released his numbers yet, but he’s running competitively in the polls.

Indianapolis, IN (LifeNews.com) -- Fresh from his endorsement by two pro-life organizations, pro-life Senate candidate Dan Coats has a solid lead over his opponent Brad Ellsworth. The new Rasmussen Reports poll comes on the heels of the Susan B. Anthony List supporting Coats over Ellsworth, despite the latter saying he is pro-life.The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters finds Coats with 51% support, while Ellsworth earns 30% of the vote, his poorest showing to date. Another 6 percent of Hoosiers favor another candidate while 12 percent remain undecided.Last month, Coats dropped below 50% but still led Ellsworth 47% to 33%. In five previous surveys back to February, support for Coats has ranged from 46% to 54%. In that same period, Ellsworth has picked up 32% to 36% of the vote. Pollster Scott Rasmussen commented on the results: "Indicative of voter unhappiness in Indiana is that Ellsworth’s first statewide TV ad which just began airing in the last few days mentions his background as a sheriff and criticizes Washington lawmakers. But the ad never says that Ellsworth is currently a member of Congress."The two candidates are contending for the seat held by pro-abortion Senator Evan Bayh -- who surprised his fellow Democrats with his announcement in January that he would not seek reelection. Now, it appears Coats, the Republican, will pick up the seat for pro-life advocates looking for another vote in the Senate.

Coats, who previously served as a senator from Indiana from 1989 to 1999, holds double-digit leads among both male and female voters. He holds a better than three-to-one lead among voters not affiliated with either major party. Opposition to the pro-abortion national health care bill remains high in Indiana as 59% favor repeal of the bill that Ellsworth supported as a member of the House, while 35% oppose repeal. This is a higher level of support than is found nationally. Last week, SBA List endorsed Coats and the endorsement is important because Ellsworth, who calls himself pro-life, let down pro-life groups when he supported the government-run health care bill that includes massive abortion funding with taxpayer dollars.

"Once again, the Senate is in great need of the pro-life statesmanship -- which Dan Coats has already proven time and again to possess. His commitment to rescind taxpayer funding of abortion in health care and in every aspect of federal spending is urgently needed in the coming Congress," Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund president Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com.Leading up to the health care vote, Ellsworth also upset pro-life groups when he proposed a so-called compromise on abortion funding that essentially did not ban taxpayer-funded abortions in the national health care plan.National Right to Life has alsoendorsed Coats over Ellsworth. http://www.lifenews.com/state5126.html

Indiana still has the look of a likely Republican Senate pickup, with former Senator Dan Coats remaining comfortably ahead of his Democratic

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state finds Coats with 51% support, while Ellsworth earns 30% of the vote, his poorest showing to date. Six percent (6%) favor some other candidate in the race, while 12% remain undecided.

Last month, Coats dropped below 50% but still led Ellsworth 47% to 33%.

In five previous surveys back to February, support for Coats has ranged from 46% to 54%. In that same period, Ellsworth has picked up 32% to 36% of the vote.

The two candidates are contending for the seat held by Senator Evan Bayh who surprised his fellow Democrats with his announcement in January that he would not seek reelection. Bayh, who faced a tough GOP challenge, was still the favorite in the race at the time, but now the seat is rated Solid GOP in the Rasmussen Reports Senate Balance of Power ratings.

Coats, who previously served as a senator from Indiana from 1989 to 1999, holds double-digit leads among both male and female voters. He holds a better than three-to-one lead among voters not affiliated with either major party.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Indiana was conducted on June July 7-8, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Opposition to the national health care bill remains high in Indiana, traditionally a conservative, Republican leaning state. Fifty-nine percent (59%) favor repeal of the bill that Ellsworth supported as a member of the House, while 35% oppose repeal. This is a higher level of support than is found nationally. This includes 49% who Strongly Favor repeal and 21% who are Strongly Opposed.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of those who Strongly Favor repeal support Coats, while Ellsworth earns 78% of the vote from those who Strongly Oppose it.

Support in Indiana for Arizona’s new immigration law parallel findings nationally. Sixty-one percent (61%) of Indiana voters favor passage of a law like Arizona’s in their state, and just 25% oppose such a bill.

Coats gets 64% support from those who favor an Arizona-like law in Indiana. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of those who oppose a law like that favor Ellsworth.

Twenty-eight percent (28%) of all voters in the state agree with the Justice Department’s decision to challenge the Arizona law in court, but 57% disagree with that decision.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of those who agree with the challenge back Ellsworth. Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters who disagree with the Justice Department action favor Coats.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of Indiana voters, however, favor a welcoming immigration policy that only excludes national security threats, criminals and those who come here to live off the U.S. welfare system. Twenty-four percent (24%) disagree with a policy like that.

Coats is viewed Very Favorably by 13% and Very Unfavorably by eight percent (8%). Eighteen percent (18%) have no opinion of the former senator.

Ten percent (10%) have a Very Favorable opinion of Ellsworth, while nine percent (9%) view him Very Unfavorably. Twenty-eight percent (28%) don’t know enough about him to voice any kind of opinion.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of Indiana voters think the country is in a recession.

Twenty-eight percent (28%) believe the $787-billion economic stimulus plan helped the U.S. economy, but 38% say it hurt. This is close to voter sentiments nationally.

Twenty-six percent (26%) say the government spending in the stimulus plan created new jobs. Fifty-six percent (56%) disagree and say it did not create any new jobs.

Sixty-seven percent (67%) believe cutting taxes is a better way to create new jobs than increased government spending. Just 14% say increased spending is the way to go.

Forty-three percent (43%) of Indiana voters approve of President Obama’s job performance, while 56% disapprove. That’s in line with findings last month and a higher level of criticism than Obama earns nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

WASHINGTON, July 8 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund, a national pro-life political action committee, announced its endorsement of former Congressman (IN-04) and Senator Dan Coats, candidate for U.S. Senate in Indiana against opponent and Congressman Brad Ellsworth (IN-08). SBA List Candidate Fund President Marjorie Dannenfelser said of the endorsement:

"Once again, the Senate is in great need of the pro-life statesmanship Dan Coats has already proven time and again to possess. His commitment to rescind taxpayer funding of abortion in health care and in every aspect of federal spending is urgently needed in the coming Congress."

Coats served as a U.S. Congressman from 1981 to 1989 then as a U.S. Senator from 1989 to 1999. In May 2010, he won the five-way Indiana Republican primary with 39 percent of the vote. Coats will face Ellsworth in the November general election to fill the open seat left by retiring Senator Evan Bayh.

Ellsworth was elected Representative of Indiana's 8th district in 2006. As a member of the House Pro-Life Caucus, Ellsworth held a near-perfect pro-life voting record with the National Right to Life Committee until he voted in favor of a health care reform bill including the federal funding of abortion and, potentially, the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade.

"Dan Coats represents voters' views and women's needs on the issue of abortion far better than does his opponent," said Dannenfelser, referring to March 2010 polling company™ data revealing that 80 percent of IN-08 constituents oppose the use of tax dollars for abortion. In that same poll, 65 percent of Ellsworth's constituents said they would be less likely to re-elect him if he voted in favor of health care legislation including federal funded abortion.

In contrast, said Dannenfelser, "Hoosiers can trust Dan Coats to represent their views on the Life issue and to vote according to his conscience regardless of any political calculus."

The Susan B. Anthony List plans to spend $6 million on voter education in the midterm elections, including $3 million on key Senate races. The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of over 280,000 Americans, residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Foreign Ministry reports circulating in the Kremlin today are warning that an already explosive situation in the United States is about to get a whole lot worse as a new law put forth by President Obama is said capable of seeing up to 500,000 American citizens jailed for the crime of opposing their government.

Sparking the concern of Russian diplomats over the growing totalitarian bent of the Obama government is the planned reintroduction of what these reports call one of the most draconian laws ever introduced in a free society that is titled “The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act”.

First introduced in the US Congress in 2007 by Democratic Representative Jane Harmon, this new law passed the US House of Representatives by a secretive voice vote, but failed to pass the US Senate, after which it was believed dead until this past week when it was embraced by Obama who became the first American President to name his own citizens as a threat to his Nations security.

In what is called the National Security Strategy document, that is required of US Presidents by their Congress, that embraces the dictatorial ideals of the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act”, Obama has ordered his Federal police and intelligence forces to begin targeting Americans opposed to him and his radical socialist polices.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Cam Savage is the new campaign manager for GOP Senate candidate Dan Coats.

Savage calls it a “big stage.” It’s a rare opportunity for the guy who just won the 4th District GOP primary for Todd Rokita. (Rokita won’t need the same kind of effort in November.)

Savage has also run a Congressional campaign for Mike Sodrel and was one of the top people in the re-election effort of Mitch Daniels. He gives the Coats campaign the sort of day-to-day manager with Indiana experience that it needs. He replaces Anne Hathaway who was drafted into primary duty. She intended to be a campaign consultant and will remain as such.

Six percent (6%) of likely voters in the state favor some other candidate. Eight percent (8%) remain undecided.

Coats, who previously served in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 1999, captured 39% of the vote in a five-way race on Tuesday to win the state Republican Senate nomination. His four opponents have now endorsed his candidacy. Ellsworth, a U.S. congressman, is unchallenged for his party’s nomination.

In surveys since Democratic Senator Evan Bayh’s surprise announcement that he would not seek reelection, Coat’s support in match-ups with Ellsworth has grown from 46%in Februaryto 54% last month. Ellsworth’s support in those same surveys has remained in the narrow range of 32% to 34%.

Ellsworth voted in favor of the recently-passed national health care plan, but 59% of Indiana voters favor repeal of that plan. The Indiana finding includes 48% who Strongly Favor repeal. Thirty-eight percent (38%) oppose repeal, with 26% who Strongly Oppose it. Those figures are similar to the national average.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of those who Strongly Favor repeal support Coats, while 80% of those in the smaller group who Strongly Oppose it support Ellsworth.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Indiana was conducted on May 5-6, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Thirteen percent (13%) of Indiana voters have a Very Favorable opinion of Coats, while nine percent (9%) regard him Very Unfavorably.

Ellsworth is seen Very Favorably by nine percent (9%) and Very Unfavorably by 13%.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of Indiana voters support a law like Arizona’s that authorizes local police to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Twenty-nine percent (29%) oppose such a law. Again, those figures are close to the national average.

But 52% of voters in Indiana are at least somewhat concerned that such a law will violate the civil rights of some U.S. citizens. Forty-seven percent (47%) are not very or not at all concerned.

Sixty-five percent (65%) favor a welcoming immigration policy that excludes only “national security threats, criminals and those who would come here to live off our welfare system.”

Most Indiana voters think it is at least somewhat important for Congress to pass energy legislation this year to reduce global warming, but just 38% favor such an energy bill now. Forty-one percent (41%) oppose it.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH/AP) - Former Indiana senator Dan Coats has won the GOP Senate nomination. Coats shot to an early lead on election night and held on to beat opponents Marlin Stutzman and John Hostettler.

The newly nominated Republican candidate had his son Andrew introduce him as he began the celebration at the downtown Indianapolis Marriott.

Saying, "Thank you, Indiana, for your strong support," Coats stressed his conservatism and his strong Hoosier values. He then began attacking President Obama.

Coats said the choices between himself and representative Brad Ellsworth, the Democratic nominee, are clear. He said it's time to stop the spending in Washington and the hard left the government is taking. He attacked Ellsworth's support of the recently-passed health care bill.

Coats intends to hit the road campaigning immediately. He's heading to Evansville Wednesday morning right into the heart of Brad Ellsworth territory.

Coats has been under fire from conservatives for his years as a Washington lobbyist and for a vote in favor of a gun control law when he was in the Senate.

He only won about 40 percent of the vote with 71 percent of precincts reporting, signaling a divide in the GOP between mainstream Republicans and more conservative tea party voters who split their votes between Hostettler and Stutzman.

That divide could be an issue in November when Coats will Ellsworth, a conservative Democrat who will be formally nominated by the Democratic central committee May 15.

"Ellsworth has enough conservative credentials to cut into some of the Republican base," said Brian Vargus, a political science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.

"It is completely possible that those people who are disaffected from the party -- the so-called tea party voters -- vote Libertarian or stay home."

Coats, backed by national GOP leaders during the primary, hopes to convince tea party voters that he echoes their concerns about where the country is headed under Democratic leadership.

"We're going to be singing off the same song sheet between now and November," said Coats spokesman Pete Seat.

Coats may also portray Ellsworth as a Washington insider, even though Coats himself has plenty of experience inside the beltway.

Coats won a special election in 1990 to serve the remainder of Dan Quayle's term after Quayle became vice president in 1989.

Coats' name was last on an Indiana ballot in 1992, when he made a successful bid for a full Senate term.

But he decided not to run for re-election in 1998, when Bayh made his first run for the seat. Coats has since been an ambassador to Germany under former President George W. Bush and worked as a lobbyist in Washington.

Democrats have been attacking Coats even before he won Tuesday's primary.

The chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party chided Coats for missing a deadline to file a personal financial disclosure report, saying he should know better because of his experience as a former senator. Once Coats filed the form, Democrats criticized him for being an "elite D.C. lobbyist" and questioned whether he would represent Indiana residents or special interest groups.

IN Senate Race: Coats Claims Poll Position

Dan Coats appears to have broken through in Indiana's GOP primary for that state's US Senate race. A poll out this morning from the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics has Coats in front outside the margin of error. Here's the breakdown:

Dan Coats 36%

John Hostettler 24%

Marlin Stutzman 18%

Undecided 13%

Don Bates, Jr. 6%

Richard Behney 4%

The poll was conducted by SurveyUSA via recorded message delivered by random telephone calls (refered to as a 'robo-poll'). There were 407 Hoosiers questioned who said they were likely to vote in the Republican primary. Calls were conducted from April 22nd-27th. The margin of error in the poll is plus/minus 5%.

The primary is Tuesday, May 4th.

UPDATE: The most surprising single piece of data in the poll was Coats strong standing among likely voters who "identify with the Tea Party movement". In that group...Coats got 30%...Stutzman 23%...Hostettler 21%...Undecided 11%...Bates 9% and Behney 4%.

Why is that surprising? Coats did not win a single straw poll at any of the debates sponsored by Tea Party groups. Organizers have repeatedly told me that of the five Republican candidates...the Tea Party favorites are Stutzman, Behney and Bates.

In fact, Behney is a Tea Party organizer himself. Stutzman has courted the Tea Party vote and has won four Tea Party debate straw polls. The one candidate who has seemed to struggle for support among Tea Party activists is Coats.

Yet, this polls suggests Coats may have mended fences with Tea Partiers on issues such as Coats' voting for a semi-automatic weapons ban while a Senator in the 1990's...and Coats work as a DC lobbyist.

Tea Partiers may have grown pragmatic here in the waning days of the primary campaign...getting behind Coats because of his base of support among the regulars of the Indiana Republican Party. But if that's true...it's the first time this reporter has heard it.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Former GOP Sen. Dan Coats, who represented Indiana from 1989 to 1999, holds double-digit leads over rivals both in the race for the Republican senatorial nomination and the general election contest, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted April 22-26 for the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics.

As Tuesday's primary nears, Coats had support of 36 percent of likely voters, followed by former Rep. John Hostettler at 24 percent and state Sen. Marlin Stutzman at 18 percent, with two other candidates in single digits and 13 percent undecided. The margin of error is 5 points.

Stutzman has been endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund which, like the Tea Party movement, has backed anti-establishment conservatives. Still, Coats outpolls Stutzman 34 percent to 20 percent among those with a favorable view of the Tea Party movement, and by 30 percent to 23 percent among those who say they identify with the movement.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Fred Thompson Endorses Dan Coats

Calls Coats ‘Solid, Principled Conservative’

INDIANAPOLIS (April 27, 2010) – Adding to the growing list of conservative leaders endorsing Dan Coats including Congressman Mike Pence and Dr. James Dobson, former Senator Fred Thompson released the following statement in support of Dan Coats for United States Senate:

“I’ve known and worked with Dan Coats for a number of years. He’s a solid, principled conservative, and a leader of our Republican Party. I’ve seen him represent the people of Indiana honorably. When we were together in the Senate, I witnessed moments where Dan had to make tough votes that some in our party might not have agreed with, but he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do. Making those kinds of decisions aren’t easy; Dan never took them lightly, and I know his experience and leadership are greatly needed in Washington right now.

“That’s why I endorse and support Dan Coats for a return to the United States Senate, and I hope conservatives and Republicans in Indiana do the same,” Thompson said.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Curt SmithExecutive DirectorIndiana Family Institute(Focus on the Family of Indiana)

By Brian Howey

INDIANAPOLIS — When it comes to the Republican U.S. Senate race, Curt Smith has had vivid relationships with four of the five candidates. He helped launch Richard Behney's campaign and he's worked with State Sen. Marlin Stutzman on marriage legislation with the Indiana Family Institute. He's been Dan Coats' Senate state director and congressman John Hostettler's chief of staff.

When it comes to the Senate primary, Smith is making it clear whom he supports: Dan Coats.

"When Dan called me and said he was getting back in the race, I was very excited because I know a little bit about the Senate having worked there for six years," Smith said. "I know how senators interact with one another. I am thoroughly convinced that Dan Coats would be the best possible senator from Indiana. That's not to take anything away from John Hostettler. John is a smart guy. But the House of Representatives is wholesale where groups and blocks come together to advance legislation. The Senate is retail. You've got to have ‘Triple A’ people skills on legislation to get votes on your issues. I just don't think John Hostettler is as well suited for the Senate as Dan Coats."

The Senate primary is a presumed race between the two former Members of Congress, though Stutzman has won the endorsement of the American Conservative Union and U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. A fifth candidate, Don Bates Jr., has asserted that unlike Coats, Hostettler and Stutzman, he has no government experience and, thus, has not been “part of the problem.”

With Hostettler, whom he met at a 1994 Promise Keepers convention, Smith explained, "John's used to putting coal in there and getting electricity out of here and that's not always how the legislative process works." Hostettler graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute and was an engineer at Vectren before he ran for Congress. "A lot of times you need to bring the people skills in. You have to advance the conversation."

"It's not only because Dan's been there before and served years in the Senate; it's his people skills, his ability to reach out to folks. He can do something with someone who was as far to the left as Ted Kennedy and not compromise his principles and not give the store away," Smith explained. “He has the skills to negotiate with people who think differently; to blur the ideological lines and look for consensus. Dan Coats will make the logical argument and establish the principles, but he knows that the art of persuasion includes a human dimension. Dan is going to connect with people.”

"It's tough seeing John Hostettler having those kind of people skills," Smith continued. "I think John has this notion that the Senate is where you go and reflect. Because you have a six-year term it's the longest horizon in government, it's not a deliberative and reflective body as the Jimmy Stewart movies would suggest. The reality is the United States Senate is as reactive as the House, it just reacts differently."

Asked for examples, Smith pointed to Coats' work to revamp the U.S. tax code in 1986 and his pioneer efforts on what he called the Project for American Renewal that eventually formed the structure for President George W. Bush's faith-based initiatives.

On the tax code, Smith explained, "Dan secured a promise from President Reagan in a meeting with House Republicans. Dan almost single handedly was responsible for doubling the dependency exemption."

As for Hostettler, Smith explained, "I just see John as a guy who makes the case and then he says, 'You decide.' Sometimes you've got to do more than that. You have to stay with it, be passionate and make the message. It was hard to get him to return media calls. He did not want to do fundraising. He did not want to meet with some of the constituent groups."

There's another element to Smith's perception that Coats would be the better Republican nominee over Hostettler and that has to do with the 2006 election that Hostettler lost to U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth — the presumed Democratric Senate nominee — by 22 percent.

Howey Politics Indiana reported in October 2006 that Hostettler essentially gave up on that race, citing several high-level Evansville Republicans. Smith recalls, "I sent you an e-mail saying you were crazy." But in retrospect, Smith explained, "I don't really know what happened in 2006. I did not see him as giving up. I saw him as being fatalistic.”

That 2006 loss — the biggest by an incumbent that year — is in Smith's mind Hostettler's greatest liability. "The really tough question for John Hostettler to answer in his Senate campaign is why should he be the one to carry the Republican Party's banner when he lost to Brad Ellsworth by 22 points?" Smith said. "That's the question and I don't think John has a good answer."

IN Senate Race: What’s old is “news”

In a five-candidate race, Coats is considered a slight favorite in the May 4th Indiana Republican primary for the US Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Evan Bayh. After Tuesday night's televised GOP Senate debate, Coats told reporters he had an announcement to make, before taking questions.

Coats said, "Lemme just pass on some news that I'd like to give you here. I'm really pleased to announce tonight that uh...in fact I just got off the phone with Mike Pence. He's given me his unqualified endorsement and support for this race which I'm thrilled to have. He said some very good things about me when I indicated my intention to run. He's been supportive but uh...to say he's given me now his unqualified support is...is...is very important to me and I'm very appreciative." (You can watch Coats says this for yourself on the video linked to this story.)

The endorsement announcement was bigger than anything that happened in the debate. Congressman Mike Pence is very influential among Indiana Republicans. In the minds of many Hooiser GOP'ers only Governor Mitch Daniels endorsement would be bigger. (And Daniels in not endorsing. He says he'll back the primary winner.)

Dan Coats for Indiana Big News! Congressman Mike Pence has given Dan his unqualified endorsement for the U.S. Senate!

The thing is...Pence's backing was old news. That's how Pence's chief of staff Bill Smith described it when contacted by Fox News.

In early February, a statement of support for Coats candidacy was issued. This was shortly after Coats' announcement that he intended to join the race. The Pence statement was picked up by some DC media outlets.

Roll Call on February 3rd ran the following quote attributed to Pence:

“I am very excited about the possibility that former Senator Dan Coats may run for the United States Senate in 2010 and I sincerely hope he does it,” Pence said in a statement. “His integrity and conservative record would make him the ideal candidate for Hoosiers. If he runs, I will support him.”

Fifteen days later, Coats filed to run in the Indiana Senate election.

Smith says since that February statement, "The Congressman has not been hesitant" to tell reporters who asked that he was a Coats-backer. Smith made it clear in a telephone interview that while the February statement did not contain the word 'endorsement', it was certainly considered one by Pence.

Still, there was at least some confusion about Pence's backing of Coats. Some supporters had contacted Pence's offices asking who the Representative liked in the primary. Smith says all who inquired were told the same thing, "Coats".

But it shouldn't have been confusing for people who visit Coats campaign website. On a page titled "What They're Saying" a Pence quote sits atop the list:

Congressman Mike Pence: “His integrity and conservative record would make him the ideal candidate for Hoosiers.” (Congressional Quarterly, 2/3/10)

So, did Coats just plain get it the timing wrong with his post-debate "news" announcement?

Apparently.

Kevin Kellems of the Coats campaign sent an e-mail this morning which reads in part:

"Cong. Pence called Dan after the debate. I don't speak for him, but I believe the reason the Congressman reached out to Dan was to make it clear that his statement of support that came very early on was indeed an endorsement."

So, Coats did have Pence's endorsement all along...even before Coats was officially in the race. And certainly a lot of people missed it (including this reporter). But was Coats post-debate announcement last night "news" as he said?

Monday, April 19, 2010

By Susan Davis

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson is wading into the Indiana Senate race in a radio ad endorsing Republican Dan Coats, a former senator.

“Dan has been a consistent leader of pro-family causes and a stalwart defender of unborn children. If my wife Shirley and I were Hoosiers, we would definitely vote for Dan Coats in the May 4th primary,” Dobson states in a radio spot that will begin airing statewide Tuesday through early May. “I am excited about the prospect of having him in the Senate again.”

The Colorado-based Focus on the Family is one of the nation’s most prominent evangelical Christian groups. Dobson is no longer its head, and he stressed that his endorsement was personal and not on behalf of any organization.

Coats is a leading contender for his party’s nomination for the open Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, who is retiring.

Following his vote for the national health care plan, Democratic Congressman Brad Ellsworth's support remains stuck in the low 30s, while two of his Republican opponents now earn 50% or more of the vote in Indiana’s U.S. Senate race.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Indiana finds that 65% favor repeal of the recently passed health care law. Just 29% in the state oppose repeal. Those findings include 56% who strongly favor repeal versus 21% who strongly oppose it.

As for the candidates, the latest poll finds former Senator Dan Coats with 54% support, up five points from last month. In that match-up, 33% of voters prefer Ellsworth. Five percent (5%) like another candidate, and nine percent (9%) are undecided.

If Hostettler, a former congressman, is the Republican candidate, he picks up 50% of voters. Against Hostettler, Ellsworth earns 33% of the vote. Five percent (5%) prefer someone else in the race, and 12% are undecided.

The third GOP hopeful, State Senator Marlin Stutzman, gets 41% support again this month, and Ellsworth earns 36% of the vote. Seven percent (7%) favor another candidate. Sixteen percent (16%) are undecided.

This is the first time that Coats has outperformed Hostettler. Coats previously represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate before retiring from office. His return was initially with skepticism by some Hoosiers. Indiana Republicans will pick their nominee in a May 4 primary.

Coats earns 78% of the votes of those who strongly favor repeal, while Ellsworth gets 79% of the votes of those who are strongly opposed. The spread is similar if Hostettler is the Republican in the race. In a Stutzman/Ellsworth match-up, the Republican gets 62% of those who strongly favor repeal, while the Democrats’ support among those who are strongly opposed rises to 82%.

In three surveys to date, Ellsworth’s overall voter support has held to the range of 27% to 36%. Stutzman has earned roughly 40% support in those surveys, while Coats and Hostettler have both risen from 46% support in February.

Voters in the state not affiliated with either major party prefer Coats and Hostettler to Ellsworth, but the Democrat edges Stutzman among these voters.

Fourteen percent (14%) of all Indiana voters have a very favorable opinion of Ellsworth, while 16% view him very unfavorably.

Coats is viewed very favorably by 17% and very unfavorably by eight percent (8%).

For Hostettler, very favorables are 14% and very unfavorables nine percent (9%).

Stutzman has very favorables of six percent (6%) and very unfavorables of seven percent (7%).

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Sylvia A Smith

Washington editor

WASHINGTON – Dan Coats primed the pump with a $25,000 infusion from his personal bank account into his campaign for the Republican nomination for Senate and headed into the final weeks of the campaign with $331,057 on hand.

He is one of five Republicans jostling to be the GOP nominee for the seat being vacated by Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who announced he is not running for re-election.

Don Bates reported $52,250 in the bank as of March 31 and said he has $45,300 in unpaid campaign bills.

He raised $86,865 from individual donors and none from political action committees.

The other candidates in the May 4 primary – Marlin Stutzman, Richard Behney and John Hostettler – did not respond to requests for copies of their reports, which were due by midnight Thursday.

Coats did not enter the campaign until early February and in less than two months had raised $292,049 from individuals and $62,250 from PACs.

His campaign provided summary information of the January-through-March campaign report, which does not include the details of who gave money. However, some donors have filed their own reports. PACs controlled by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Thad Cochran, R-Miss., each sent Coats $5,000. A PAC controlled by Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., donated $10,000.

Coats, a former senator and Washington lobbyist, was expected to easily tap into donors to power his campaign.

Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-8th, the likely Democratic nominee, reported he had $1 million in the bank as of March 31. He started the year with $519,643 and raised $621,819 in the first three months of the year.

He collected $314,676 from individuals and $301,892 from PACs.

Ellsworth received the maximum $10,000 from at least 15 PACs: American Association for Justice, American Crystal Sugar Co., American Federation of State County and Municipal Workers, National Association of Credit Unions, Home Depot, International Association of Bridge Workers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Midwest Region Laborers, PricewaterhouseCoopers, SAIC Inc., United Food and Commercial Workers, and PACs operated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawaii; Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Hoosier Advocate has obtained exclusive results of internal statewide polling conducted by one of the Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in Indiana. The results suggest that three of the candidates stand decent chances of succeeding, with the race still wide open.

A telephone survey of likely voters across the state finds former Senator Dan Coats and former Congressman John Hostettler virtually tied at 29% and 26% respectively, within the margin of error. State Senator Marlin Stutzman also remains in striking distance with 18% of likely voters. The survey was taken last Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Nineteen percent (19%) remain undecided in that match-up. Here are the results of the head to head match-up:

Candidate

April 6-7

Don Bates, Jr.

5%

Richard Beheny

3%

Dan Coats

29%

John Hostettler

26%

Marlin Stutzman

18%

Undecided

19%

Unless there is a major shift in the electorate, Don Bates, Jr. and Richard Beheny face little chance of winning the primary. Ironically these two anti-establishment candidates appear to be helping the establishment’s candidate, Dan Coats, the most. According to the poll, voters who plan to vote for Bates or Beheny (8% of primary voters) would otherwise vote for Hostettler and Stutzman.

Coats is viewed favorably by 30% and very unfavorably by 22% of likely Republican voters. Hostettler is viewed very favorably by 32% and very unfavorably by 5%. Stutzman is viewed favorably by 20%, while 3% regard him very unfavorably.

Monday, April 12, 2010

WASHINGTON -- Former Sen. Dan Coats, running for the open Indiana Senate seat that will be vacated by Evan Bayh (D), said he is running out of a “call of duty,” because he said he believes the current “radical” administration, is “moving this country rapidly toward a European Socialist style of government.”

“Wasn’t it Margaret Thatcher that said the whole thing wrong with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money?” Coats, 66, said in an interview here with First Read. Asked if he sees this administration as “moving toward socialism,” Coats said, “I do. I do. I think this is a socialistic agenda. It’s definitely moving this country rapidly toward a European socialist style of government.”

Coats, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, is facing a primary -- which takes place in 22 days -- from the right, notably from former congressman John Hostettler. Coats served in Washington for 28 years, beginning in 1980, first as a congressman then, in 1989 as a senator. Coats served as a district representative for Dan Quayle from 1976 to 1980 and was appointed to replace Quayle, when Quayle became vice president.

His ties to Washington have become an issue in this cycle of anti-Washington fervor. After leaving the Senate, Coats was an ambassador to Germany, registered as a lobbyist and lived in Virginia -- not Indiana, something that has become an issue as well.

But Coats said he is focused on retail campaigning and getting reacquainted with Indianans by participating in numerous forums sponsored by various Tea Party groups and county Republican parties. And today, in fact, his wife Marcia was baking apple pie at a pie auction in the Hoosier state. (What makes it great, he said, is the crust.)

With regard to the other Republican candidates, Coats said he is trying to stay positive. “Ideologically, we’re all singing off the same song sheet,” Coats said. That’s the message he reiterates to conservative primary voters, particularly those who identify with the Tea Party and are wary of an insider like Coats with more than three decades of Washington experience.

Coats, however, is trying to sell his experience as a positive. He tells them that his knowledge of how the Senate works can bring real change. “The nature of the issues before us, you know, experience helps.”

Plus, he said, “It’s been 12 years since I’ve served. And a lot has changed.” In particular, this administration. He explained that there is “downright anger toward the Obama administration for what they perceive as, which I agree with, a pretty radical leftward tilt. And a massive expansion of government resulting in massive debt and frightening deficit and long-term debt.”

But Hostettler, for one, doesn’t see Coats’ experience as a good thing. In a Web video, he attacks Coats on abortion (for voting for Bill Clinton Supreme Court appointee Ruth Bader Ginsburg) and on gun rights (for voting for “the Clinton gun ban and the Brady Bill.”)

"When Dan Coats was elected to the Senate,” an announcer in the ad says, “he assured us that he was one of us, a Hoosier conservative. But something happened to Dan Coats while he was in Washington. … Now after a 12-year absence from Indiana, Dan Coats wants us to believe he will represent our values in Washington. ... We've had enough of compromise.”

The 1998 Almanac of American Politics, however, wrote: “Coats is strongly against abortion -- a leader on the fetal tissue research ban, an opponent of RU-486 and the Henry Foster for surgeon general nomination. He sponsored a law allowing parents to block dial-a-porn phone numbers and one banning ‘indecent or lewd’ material on the Internet. Most interestingly, he has proposed a series of laws designed to strengthen families and faith-based institutions.”

Home -- Indiana or Washington?Coats has been criticized for living in Virginia since leaving Congress -- instead of Indiana -- and for taking a job as a lobbyist. Coats, who is originally from Fort Wayne, now maintains a residence in Indianapolis.

He said he stayed in Washington for family -- and money.

“Grandkids were here,” Coats said of the Washington area. “My kids were here. They’ve been raised here. … It was mainly a family matter and a financial matter. … There were good job opportunities here, better job opportunities here.”

“Better paying, in particular,” this reporter said.

“Better paying,” Coats affirmed, and then pivoted. “So, we’re back. I am a resident of Indiana now, living in Indiana now. I feel a very close connection to the people who welcomed me back.” He added that he chose Indianapolis, because it’s easier to campaign from there. “Right now, we’re living in Indianapolis,” he said, “because it’s the center of the state and campaigning and all statewide. Fort Wayne’s up in the corner.”

It’s a seven-hour drive from Ft. Wayne to Evansville, Brad Ellsworth’s hometown, Coats pointed out. From Indianapolis, it’s 2 ½ hours. Ellsworth, a former sheriff and current congressman from the eighth congressional district, a swing district in the southwestern corner of the state, is the likely Democratic nominee.

In 1996, when he announced he would not run for re-election, Coats explained his reasoning for stepping away this way, per the Almanac: “If politics is not your life, when do you leave? I want to leave when I am young enough to contribute somewhere else -- young enough to resume a career outside government. I want to leave when there is still a chance to follow God's leading to something new.”

Defending lobbying roleCoats also spoke at length about his lobbying, defending his role.

“The former senator has had scores of corporate lobbying clients over the years, including health-care firms (Amgen, United Health Group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America), bailout recipients (Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch) and communications companies (BellSouth, Sprint Nextel, Verizon). Another past client is Cerberus Capital Management, where Dan Quayle -- whose seat Coats took over in the Senate -- is a top executive. Lobbying disclosure records also show that Coats represented foreign firms or governments that could prove controversial, including the Indian government and Bombardier, a Canadian aerospace firm. Coats also represented a Texas oil-and-gas company that partnered with Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, records show.”

Coats said that characterization of the work he did unfair. “What it turned out was that every allegation they put out there was factually wrong,” Coats said of Democratic operatives.

He went point by point. Coats, who said he was just a “part-time” lobbyist, said he never lobbied for any company while they were trying to secure bailout money.

“Our firm represented Bank of America on one issue and one issue only for about a three-month period that ended long before TARP was ever thought of.” He said it was a “very narrow patent issue” that “had nothing to do with outsourcing of jobs; it had nothing to do with TARP. End of story. We represented Bank of America for three months. We wish we represented them on a lot more things, but we don’t.” And he said he wasn’t involved “at all” in representing Bank of America.

On the Chavez oil company connection, Coats said, “The company we represented Harvest Natural Resources Company was a Houston oil company Chavez was trying to put out of business by annulling their contract, and extorting them and saying, ‘We’re going to nationalize you unless you pay us an exorbitant amount of money.”

Coats took it on because of his connection to the Indiana delegation. The head of that company wanted “to tell our story to Sen. Lugar” and Rep. Dan Burton. Lugar is the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Burton is a member of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee. He said he made two phone calls -- one to Lugar’s office and one to Burton’s office.

On being a “foreign agent,” Coats said, “Yes, I was in one instance” with relation to India. “One attorney in our firm was representing India and that person had received a request from the Indian government that their prime minister when he came here speak to the joint session of Congress. ‘Could you help me with this? Could you call Sen. Lott, then Senate majority leader, and Congressman Haster, then speaker of the House and say that the request has come in from the state of India that the prime minister speak to a joint session. I made those two calls. I had to register. So I registered.”

He said he represented Cerberus to help with their German operation because of his Germany ties, but never on getting bailout money.

Coats vs. Ellsworth, all about health careWhile Coats didn’t want to criticize his Republican primary opponents, he had no problem taking shots at Ellsworth. He said Ellsworth used to be a “conservative Democrat,” but no more.

Why? Health care. Coats said he was “shocked” that Ellsworth “ignored the governor’s plea and the voters’ plea and instead voted for health care. That’s going to be a primary issue.”

He added, “Brad ran as a conservative Democrat in his first two race, but his support for Pelosi and Obama, and particularly on this health care against the wishes of the governor and strong wishes of the pro-life community, have left him in a position where he’s no longer seen as a conservative Democrat. He’s seen as someone who goes to Washington and falls right in with the rest -- and that is whatever the president and his leader in the House tell him to do, he does.”

On health care, Coats said he is running on repeal, but with a caveat. “I run on repeal,” he said, “but I am also candid that there’s no guarantee that repeal can succeed as long as President Obama has the veto pen. The numbers that would need to be reached to overturn a veto on that -- a two-thirds majority -- are going to be very hard to get unless there is a dramatic shift in numbers, but that’s why the election’s important.”

He also advocates for the conservative attorneys general push to challenge the constitutionality of the bill, particularly the mandate.

Obama, more ‘radical’ than ClintonCoats served in the Senate in the 1990s when Clinton was president. In comparison to Clinton, Coats said Obama is much more “radical.”

“This agenda,” Coats said, “This pushing through in spite of the will of the people is in direct contrast to Bill Clinton, who had an agenda, but realized that it needed support from the people in order to succeed. Bill Clinton’s very good at measuring the public and the public mood and the public’s support. Barack Obama could care less about what the public thinks. He’s got the numbers and he’s going to jam his proposals through.”

The reality, however, is that Democrats wound up killing Clinton’s health-care bill. Clinton, like Obama, had sweeping majorities. And like Obama, the health-care bill ran into stiff resistance from a GOP opposition. But Democrats didn’t rally around Clinton the way Democrats did for Obama this time around. One of the reasons, arguably, is that Congressional Democratic leaders had more buy-in, since they were allowed to write the bills. It wasn’t handed to them from the White House.

Still, Coats dismissed Obama, who became the first Democrat to win Indiana since 1964. Coats said Obama “won on charisma” and has now ignored the will of the people, that he acts like “he knows better” -- something, he said, “that’s insulting to a lot of people. “And there’s a lot of frustration and a lot of anger and a lot of frankly,” he added, “disillusioned Democrats and independents who voted for him."

About Me

Servant General of the F.L.A. (Franciscan Lay Apostolate); Hermitage Scullion; Former Radio Talk Show Host; Writer; Public Speaker; Former Staff Member of United States Senator Dan Coats; Retired Infantry Major: served with U.S. Army Intelligence in Vietnam and Europe; Wife: Karen (married 42 years), 5 children, 8 grandchildren ...
To request your special intentions to be offered up before our Eucharistic Lord in intercessory prayer, please e-mail your Prayer Intentions to the Portiuncula Hermitage at: hermitage@parallax.ws